Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble was a 90-minute Canadian benefit concert which aired on April 26, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and a week after the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks. The program drew an audience of over 11,500,000 viewers and listeners, and was simulcast by every major Canadian television broadcast company, including Bell Media (CTV), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC Television), Rogers Media (Citytv), Corus Entertainment (Global), V, and numerous other television, radio, and Internet-based broadcast platforms. This made it both the largest multi-platform broadcast and highest viewed non-sporting broadcast in Canadian television history. Numerous singers, actors, athletes, charities, and those impacted by coronavirus were featured including remarks by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Over CA$9,000,000 in donations during the event were raised for Food Banks Canada.
| Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original languages | English French |
| Production | |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | April 26, 2020 |
Production
editStronger Together, Tous Ensemble is primarily composed of homemade video from various celebrities' households, singing or giving words of encouragement. The program was created in collaboration to unite viewers during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks.[citation needed]
Broadcasters
editThe benefit concert aired on 120 different radio, television, and online platforms.[1]
On television, the concert was broadcast on English-language stations CTV, CBC Television, Citytv, and Global. It was also broadcast on French-language station V. The special was also simulcast on networks owned by Bell Media (CP24, CTV 2, MTV, Much, TSN, and Vrak), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Ici ARTV and Unis), Rogers Media (FX and Omni Television), Corus Entertainment (ABC Spark, National Geographic, SériesPlus, and Slice), Asian Television Network (ATN HD, ATN Bangla, ATN Cricket Plus, ATN Food Food, ATN Gujarati, ATN Jaya TV, ATN Life, ATN PM One, ATN Punjabi Plus, and CBN), Blue Ant Media (A.Side TV, BBC Earth, Cottage Life, HIFI, Love Nature, Makeful, and Smithsonian Channel), and Stingray Group (Stingray Hits! and Stingray Retro), as well as networks such as APTN, Family Channel, Hollywood Suite, NTV, OutTV, and Super Channel Fuse.[1]
On radio, the concert was simulcast on CBC Music, CBC Radio One, EZ Rock, Sirius XM channel 169, and Virgin Radio, and select stations owned by Arctic Radio, Bell Media Radio, Blackburn Radio, First Peoples Radio, Harvard Broadcasting, Jim Pattison Group, Rawlco Communications, Stingray Radio, and Vista Radio.[1]
The concert was also streamed on numerous websites, streaming services, and on-demand services, including CBC Gem, CBC Listen, Crave, Ici TOU.TV, Stingray Qello, Super Channel On Demand, and the websites and apps of the CBC, CTV, Citytv, Entertainment Tonight Canada, Global, Global News, and iHeartRadio Canada.[1]
Featuring
editStronger Together, Tous Ensemble began with Sam Roberts cover of "We're All In This Together" with his family and subsequently featured numerous singers, actors, athletes, charities, victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, politicians, and Canadian personalities.[2] It concluded with a twenty-seven artist collaboration of "Lean on Me", and closing remarks by Justin Trudeau and Drake.[3]
Musical performances
edit| Artist | Song | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Roberts | "We're All in This Together" | English |
| Michael Bublé | "Gotta Be Patient" | English Spanish |
| Barenaked Ladies | ||
| Sofia Reyes | ||
| Bryan Adams | "Shine a Light" | English |
| Tom Cochrane | "Life Is a Highway" | |
| Sarah McLachlan | "Blackbird" (The Beatles) | |
| Voices Rock Medicine (A choir consisting of Canadian women physicians) |
"Rise Again" (The Rankin Family) | |
| Shania Twain | "Up!" | |
| City and Colour | "We Found Each Other in the Dark" | |
| Charlotte Cardin | "Faufile" | French |
| Randy Bachman | "Takin' Care of Business" | English |
| William Prince | "The Spark" | |
| Jann Arden | "Sleepless" | |
| Alessia Cara | "You've Got a Friend in Me" (Randy Newman) | |
| Measha Brueggergosman | "You'll Never Walk Alone" (Rodgers and Hammerstein) | |
| David Foster and Katharine McPhee | "St. Elmo's Fire" | |
| Marie-Mai | "Ton Histoire" | French |
| Burton Cummings | "Share the Land" | English |
| Max Kerman and Nick Dika | "Years in the Making" |
Lean on Me
editNear the end of the broadcast, twenty-seven artists collaborated on a bilingual rendition of "Lean on Me" as a tribute to Bill Withers following his death a month earlier. The rendition is a product of an initiative by Tyler Shaw and Fefe Dobson called ArtistsCAN,[4] and was released separately to raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross.[5]
- Tyler Shaw
- Fefe Dobson
- Johnny Orlando
- Michael Bublé
- Justin Bieber
- Sarah McLachlan
- The Tenors
- Avril Lavigne
- Bryan Adams
- Command Sisters
- Serena Ryder
- Geddy Lee
- Buffy Sainte-Marie
- Jann Arden
- Marie-Mai
- Walk off the Earth
- Dan Kanter
- Desiire
- Donovan Woods
- Josh Ramsay
- Olivia Lunny
- Jules Halpern
- Scott Helman
- Ryland James
- Shawn Hook
- TIKA
- Bad Child
Other appearances
editImpacts
edit
Justin Trudeau @JustinTrudeau
Our front line workers are going above and beyond to keep us safe, our shelves stocked, and our country moving. And tonight's #StrongerTogether event is all about saluting them and supporting @FoodBanksCanada. Click here to get all the details: http://StrongerTogetherCanada.ca
April 26, 2020[6]
Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble drew in over 11,500,000 viewers and raised over CA$9,000,000 for Food Banks Canada.[7] The program became the most watched non-sporting event in Canadian television history.[8]
The special won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Entertainment News Program or Series at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "STRONGER TOGETHER, TOUS ENSEMBLE Extends to 90 Minutes as New Broadcasters Join the Largest Single-Show Broadcast Event in Canadian History". CBC. April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Scott, Katie (April 23, 2020). "'Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble': Justin Bieber, Ryan Reynolds, Mike Myers, others added to roster". Global News. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Samhan, Jamie (April 26, 2020). "Drake Closes Out 'Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble' With Important Message". ET Canada. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Wallis, Adam (April 27, 2020). "Canadian artists come together in 'Lean on Me' cover for coronavirus relief". Global News. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Rossignol, Derrick (April 27, 2020). "Justin Bieber And Other Canadian Stars Cover Bill Withers For Charity". UPROXX. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Justin Trudeau [@JustinTrudeau] (April 26, 2020). "Our front line workers are going above and beyond to keep us safe, our shelves stocked, and our country moving. And tonight's #StrongerTogether event is all about saluting them and supporting @FoodBanksCanada. Click here to get all the details: http://StrongerTogetherCanada.ca" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "STRONGER TOGETHER, TOUS ENSEMBLE Raises Over $6 Million So Far for Food Banks Canada as Historic Broadcast Reaches 11.5 Million Canadians". Bell Media. April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Debra Yeo, "‘Stronger Together’ COVID-19 special becomes most watched non-sports broadcast ever in Canada". Toronto Star, April 27, 2020.
- ^ Rachel West, "‘Canada’s Drag Race’, ‘Property Brothers’, Jann Arden Among Canadian Screen Awards Lifestyle And Reality Winners". ET Canada, May 17, 2021.